Until his retirement in 2020, Professor Brown specialized in social entrepreneurship and corporate social responsibility. His most recent research interests were in sustainable development. A strong advocate of study abroad, he led study-abroad short courses to Bangladesh, Nicaragua, Western Europe, and elsewhere for 25 years.

Professor Brown had more than 15 years of experience in various managerial positions before becoming an academic. He was a visiting professor in M.B.A. programs at the National Economics University in Hanoi, Vietnam (strategic management) and at the Helsinki School of Economics and Business Administration (business ethics, strategic management, and organizational behavior). He also participated in various executive education programs here and abroad. Professor Brown published many business cases, articles on entrepreneurial networks in both the Unites States and Southeast Asia, and articles on corporate reputations for social responsibility, with special focus on the relationship between reputation and financial performance. Professor Brown was on the editorial boards of Corporate Reputation Review and Multinational Business Review.